


A Ghost Of Royalty

by illune



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Assassin - Freeform, Class Issues, M/M, Reyes is not always angsty and angry tbh pls stop, Romance, Royalty, prince - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 16:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7941886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illune/pseuds/illune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack, son of the ruler king, was an easy target for Reyes to assasinate. The mission, however, traps Gabriel in an unfavorable situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Ghost Of Royalty

**Author's Note:**

> This was mostly fueled by @cyanide_prince on twitter and his Cinderella-like songs. Praise be to him.

Moonlight hitting the silver blade of the knife reminded me the first time I saw him, barely a week ago. The opulence of the ballroom had been disgusting. Only one of the hundreds of suits and dresses flailing around would’ve sufficed to feed two small villages for a year. A waste of money on cloth. High wigs and reduced waists. Men with caked faces, puffing their chests to look intimidating. Tables upon tables filled to the top with food that wasn’t being eaten, destined to rot in a dumpster. It was a banquet for rats, no matter how you looked at it.

How fake, it all was.

I had one simple mission: get in, charm the pretty boy, take his life, get out. I’d done this a dozen times before, it was as easy as cutting a loaf of bread. Most royalty never even cared to be protected at these types of events, let alone learn some self-defense to avoid being gutted like the pigs they were.

As the only black crow in a room full of tropical birds, stares were drawn to me. All the other attendants wore bright colors and feathered masks. The man who hired me had been kind enough to provide for the weirdly comfortable suit, the one that had inevitably marked me as suspicious. The mask helped to seal the deal: who would wear a plague mask to a formal dance? Me, apparently.

I might’ve been misled, perhaps the man that hired me just wanted me dead.

Lucky for me the prince liked the grim look, I had to make no effort in approaching him.

“How many eyes have you gouged with your long beak?” I didn’t expect the Prince to be my age, or for him to be well-built. He stood at my height, pristine white suit and matching, minimal mask. His golden hair shined with the chandelier light. Blue orbs piercing through the small eyelids.

He was blinding.

“In fear, people do not approach ravens, Your Majesty” _Play your part correctly_ , I had been told, and the stiffness of these meetings were very well known to everybody. A small, graceful bow sufficed. “No man or woman has been robbed of their eyesight by me”

A deep chuckle made me rise again, his white smile was perfect.

“Come, fearful raven, let’s see if you can steal more than an eye while we dance”

People made way for us to walk, and then cleared the dance floor. The string band began to play a common tune that I had heard before in another party. A woman in pink frowned as I stepped a little too close to her, backing away towards the wall. These kind of people couldn’t change. Their thoughts were like the champagne they drank: bubbly and gone with a single gulp.

The Prince took the lead immediately.

“Who sent you?” I would be lying if I said that fear and panic didn’t overtook for a second “You’re not from around here, I know my people. So, which duke sent you in his name?”

“My uncle is not up for parties. He received an invitation that couldn’t be refused, as you can imagine, and sent me in his place.” _Improvise if you need to, it won’t matter in the end_. “I hope you understand, Your Majesty, if I keep his name a secret, so his honor is not broken.”

“I fully understand” He laughed softly, his eyes scanning my expression. I hoped my gambling face still held up correctly. “But please, my name’s Jack, not Majesty” His grip on my waist tightened, his breath smelled like peppermint and cherries “What should I call you, _my_ raven?”

 _Lie whenever possible, nobody will know_.

“I’m Gabriel. Gabriel Reyes”

I couldn’t.

Such an obvious thing, to say that the mission wasn’t completed on that first night. I had to inform my contact that, aside from trying to kill the Prince, I was trying to get some information on the King’s sudden sickness and how much money was left in the royal accounts.

The truth? Jack had convinced me to stay.

“You look like a man of the people, Sir Reyes.” he had said while we were on the balcony, where the moon shone alongside the stars, a cold blanket of natural light. His hands had carefully removed my mask and caressed my scars. “Not a lot of royal men dare to fight, you must know the pain of those you rule.”

“I do not rule, Your Majesty. I simply help my uncle.” Jack had the face you’d expect from a rich, royal man: strong jawline, marked cheekbones, clear skin. His presence made me docile, I would kneel to his feet if he said the words. Somewhere inside of my head, my orders echoed weakly.

“My mistake, maybe your name misled me into thinking otherwise” He kept chuckling and letting out small sighs. Every move of his fingers sent a shock down my spine. His gaze was entranced on my face, analyzing every aspect of it as if he was reading a map. My identity was public now, a grave mistake. “But I am not wrong on your wisdom about the people of the land.”

It could’ve been so easy. A swift stab of the knife hidden in my coat. A quick and sudden movement of his neck. Drag him to the side and strangle him.

Instead, I let him take my hand and tangle our fingers.

“There’s a feeling of unrest in this kingdom, Sir Reyes.” Jack was getting dangerously close, but the way he said my name enchanted me. This had never happened before, nothing even came to mind. “And I need people to help me understand what the good decisions are. Counselors if you will.”

“Your Majesty, I--” His lips were almost touching mine, and I couldn’t back away since his grip pulled me close. A burst of laughter erupted from the inside, the band starting another song for the guests to enjoy. Somewhere, down in the garden, an owl hooted.

“This is just a suggestion, Sir Reyes, but if you’d stay then your uncle would be proud” Every small inflection created friction between our lips. The blonde knew how to work his way into a negotiation. “And for the last time: my name is Jack.”

* * *

 I was accommodated into the castle on the third day of the mission, and once again everything was over the top. The lie of being an important representative of an unnamed Duke had run around wildly amongst the castles’ personnel and, consequently, to the village. A big feast was prepared the afternoon of my arrival, several important men and women who I didn’t really recognize tried to mingle as if we’d known each other forever.

Jack didn’t attend, leaving me to survive the bureaucracy by myself. At first, I thought it had been a trap. Perhaps the other people on the table were ready to attack or at least dismantle my weak lie. When they started eating, however, it was clear why the Prince hadn’t joined.

The men were pigs, and the woman screeched like monsters. Their plates were full and every gesture they made sent food flying around, liquid spilling from silver goblets. The mess they created was far bigger than the importance of their talking. Just by looking at the fake masks they called faces, I would be better off dead than in the hands of rich people who only thought of you as another name they needed to know in order to be successful.

Needless to say I left that lunch very quickly.

I had been very foolish not to murder the pretty prince right then and there on the balcony. I needed to make an alternative plan, establish escape routes, count guards and staff that needed to be avoided. The garden could be a good place to remain hidden in order to monitor the movements of the castles’ outsides, given that it was almost empty and the large marble pillars were perfect for lookout points. Most of the castle windows were also open, and with enough luck I could locate the princes’ chambers without much effort or exposure.

The colors of the garden were so vibrant that it almost led me to believe every plant was artificial. A row of lilies surrounded the white pillar I had chosen to climb, a small bee flying from flower to flower spreading life without knowing.

“Ah, Sir Reyes!” I almost jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice. It had been way too close, and no lie would be enough excuse. Jack was wearing a light blue coat on top of his white clothes, it reminded me of a military uniform. “I’m glad I found you here, I was worried that the lunch wasn’t of your taste.”

“The food was exquisite, Your--” The Prince raised an eyebrow and I adjusted my black vest, I wondered if he was amused by all of this “Jack. I am just not good with crowds and… loud company.”

“Yes, you struck me as the lonesome type” His hand grabbed my arm and, with a subtle but firm movement, invited me to walk along with him. “This garden should be good then, so we can talk privately.”

 _If he wants to be alone, then that’s your setup. An easy, clean kill_.

“Is something the matter?” The knives hidden inside my clothing suddenly felt heavy, they threatened to drown me if their thirst wasn’t satiated.

“Tell me Gabriel,” we walked into a small area with a fountain and two sets of stone benches. Butterflies flew around nonchalantly between flowers. Whoever decorated the castle’s outsides had taken an idea or two out of some fairytales. “Why are you always wearing black?”

“Excuse me?” Jack chuckled and his hand traced the outline of my bicep.

“It’s a very intimidating color, almost like red” His easiness to approach me with such intimacy made my heart race. That was usually my work. “People are often scared of the unknown, and darkness veils any action, be it violent or caring. When the unknown harms, then red flows.”

Jack licked his lips, perhaps awaiting for a snarky reply or an argument to counter his logic.

I was just flustered.

While amongst any other person that barely resembled the royal lifestyle, my hatred grew and sizzled with such an intensity that it scorched any reasoning in favor for keeping them alive. They killed, starved, used the people they swore to protect in order to remain above everything and everyone. Their egos so inflated that a toothpick could make them explode. As long as they were afloat, it didn’t matter how many drowned.

With Jack it was different.

“White can be tainted easily, any other color leaves a mark that cannot be erased.” It took a minute, but my response came. The fragrant bushes were starting to irritate me, so many scents together only combined into a hideous perfume. “An unfitting color for someone to become a king”

“I’d rather see it as malleable: it changes whenever it is touched, and leaves a brighter mark on those touched by it.” Jack made us approach the fountain, our faces reflected in the clear water. He gifted me a very gentle smile. “A ruler cannot be like a lake. It must allow its people to move with the current and expand the canals for them to succeed.”

It was now clear what he was trying to achieve with his palette choices.

“A kingdom should build roads, Gabriel” The hand that was not holding my arm extended and placed a dandelion on my open palm. A flower that I hadn’t seen anywhere on the garden. “Not lock itself within walls. Don’t you agree?”

The splashing of the water kept the silence at bay. Jack dropped his grip on me and walked a couple steps before being approached by a maid, her small heels tapping against stone. They started to discuss dinner arrangements.

A gentle breeze dissipated the dandelion into the wind.

Fleeting, like me.

Like Jack, if I killed him.

Like us, right now, staring at each other. A knife in my hand, a gentle smile on his face.

It was a simple mission: get in, charm the pretty boy, take his life, get out.

Then why were tears running down, making the blue covers damp and darker.

“It is what you were sent to do” Jack’s voice was barely a whisper. His hair was messy, but against the covers it looked beautiful. It was curious, I never thought he would sleep without a shirt on. “Do not worry Gabriel, there are worse ways to die.”

My hands were trembling; the knife shook violently as I tried to control my sobs. This was atypical, but my emotions could not be controlled this time. Years of unattachment had trained me for this. I had been perfectly fine when killing other men, sometimes in ways more visceral and brutal than a simple stab. My head had been clear as I sneaked past the maids cleaning the front steps of the entrance, the guards lazily patrolling the garden. I had been furious as the window creaked open, hands steadily grabbing onto metal handles. My steps were firm as I approached the bed.

Then, when I saw him, the charade went down.

He had been awake, waiting.

And now, he was reassuring me.

“This is entirely my fault anyways” A giddy smile, his hand rested on top of my thighs. He could easily throw me off the bed, his body could perfectly lift me and throw me around. I would not resist. “If someone hired an assassin, that means my work is a failure.”

It was unfair. For the first time in this job, it was unfair to kill a man.

I didn’t notice I was shaking my head until Jack’s hands stopped it. He didn’t even bother disarming me. Like our first day in the balcony, his fingers traced the outlines of my jaw, my cheekbones, my scars.

“You carry such a weight on your shoulders Gabriel, no man should be burdened with so much death.” Moonlight hit Jack’s naked torso, and the scars I saw spoke more than any words. His embrace was warmer than anything I’d ever felt. “I understand what must be done, someone must pay for the crimes against the people. But please, not tonight”

I lost my grip on the knife, and it fell with a mute _thud_ on the bed. Defeated. Something hurt horribly inside me, like if it needed to get out immediately or it would burst my insides. It was maddening, as if my inability to spill another man’s blood had made mine want to leak outside. Someone screamed in my head, echoing that my life was the one to be taken now. Murder was a crime that met its equal in sentence.

“Tonight, no harm will be done” When his lips officially met mine, everything went blank.

It felt like the correct thing to happen, if that makes sense.

Why would he be so calm? An assassin had just sneaked into his bedroom in the middle of the night, passing his security like it was nothing, and he greeted me with a hug and love. I only spied on him and tried to take as much information as possible, yet he was always welcoming and comforting.

“Just _why_ ” My hands only found stability on his chest, he was so warm to the touch that only then and there I realized how cold and abrasive the night was. Jack’s hands caressed my neck and undid the buttons of my shirt.

“I have let many opportunities come and go.” His whispers on my ear shocked my body. Every part of me burned as his fingers touched delicately. “People have suffered for my inability to seize my power and for my indecision over important matters.” Now bare-chested, our skins touched without a wall of cloth. It was absurd how crazy the Prince made me in such a short span of time. “This time, Gabriel, I’m standing up for and with you.”

I was a dead man, welcoming my demise.

But morning came and Jack was still holding me as if his life depended on it, pressing my body against his. In the soft, warm bed I’d never had, the usual panic of murder and betrayal was instantly locked away in the back of my mind. It had been the first good sleep I’d experienced. With Jack’s naked legs tangled around mine, it was difficult to even consider harming the Prince.

Was I disappointed that _nothing_ _else_ happened that night? Perhaps if it had been any other person, moment, and time. If I had wasted away money on the vulgar company of any night walker.

Light reflecting on the ceiling warned me about the knife’s existence, tossed aside sometime in the night while we slept. In my world, a life needed to be taken in order to live another day. No course of action was clean of blood; no intention was pure. And yet, work had pushed me into traps of a Prince. Someone whose life was unwanted by some, and that I failed to take. The birds singing accompanied my thoughts: now, how do I face my employer?

For once, it didn’t matter.

Finally, not doing what I was born to do felt correct.

Jack moved and sighed, repositioning his body for a better fit.

And, by his side, I slept.


End file.
